Computer-based CPA examination

1. Q: What is the application procedure?
A: The general application process has not changed significantly from the paper-based CPA examination. There is still an application form, and applicants must submit the same materials (transcripts, etc.) that were required for the paper-based CPA examination.

2. Q: What are the application deadlines?
A: There are no application deadlines under the computer-based CPA examination. You should allow four weeks for processing the application, although you should receive the notice to schedule before then.

3. Q: What happens after I receive the notice to schedule?
A: If you hold a valid notice to schedule, you may contact Prometric directly to schedule the CPA exam. The Prometric website is: www.prometric.com/cpa. The exam must be scheduled at least a week in advance, and it is subject to available seating.

Course requirements for admission to the CPA examination

4. Q: May a person sit for the CPA examination with fewer than 150 semester hours college credit?
A: Yes. You must possess a baccalaureate or associates degree, obtain a score of 620 on the Graduate Management Admission Test, and complete the accounting and business course requirements in order to sit for the CPA examination without 150 semester hours. The experience requirement for candidates in this category is two years if you complete 150 semester hours after you sit for the CPA examination, and four years if you do not.

5. Q: How do I find out the accounting course requirements?
A: You should complete the CPA Examination Course Evaluation Checklist. This checklist should help you to determine if you meet the course requirements for admission to the CPA examination. The accounting subjects are nearly always covered in separate courses, except professional ethics is not offered as a separate course in most universities. Professional ethics is usually covered in an auditing course.

6. Q. What type of foreign credential evaluation should I obtain?
A. You should obtain an evaluation that is detailed enough to break down the accounting subject areas and separate the business courses, as those are the two categories of courses required for admission to the CPA examination in Ohio.

7. Q: Does computer information systems still count as an accounting course?
A: A computer information systems course begun before May 7, 2003 will still count as an accounting course, provided that course has computer programming as a prerequisite. A general information systems course taken after May 7, 2003 will count as a business course. However, an accounting information systems course still counts as an accounting course.

8. Q: How do I find out the business course requirements?
A: One course taken in the subjects of general communication skills (including English and speech courses), one course in either sociology or psychology (the former "group and individual behavior" category), one course in general ethics taken in the philosophy department, and one course in general quantitative methods or statistics will still count as a business course for the purposes of admission to the computer-based CPA exam if the course was begun prior to May 7, 2003. Any course in these areas specifically related to business (business communications, marketing psychology, business ethics, business statistics, econometrics, etc.) will count as a business course even if the course was taken after May 7, 2003. The fields of finance, economics, management, marketing, and business law still count as business topics.

College credit calculation

9. Q: How do quarter credits convert to semester credits?
A: One semester hour equals 1½ quarter hours, so one quarter hour is 2/3 of a semester hour. Trimester credit hours are generally the same as semester credit hours.

10. Q: Do graduate accounting courses earn more credit?
A: Graduate accounting courses do not earn more credit, but they do reduce the number of semester credits needed to fulfill the CPA requirements. One graduate semester or quarter credit in accounting counts 5/3 credits toward the accounting course requirement, since only 18 semester hours of graduate credit will substitute for 30 semester hours of undergraduate credit. However, graduate business courses do not earn more credit than undergraduate business courses toward the 24-hour business course requirement, nor do graduate accounting courses reduce the overall credit requirement below 150 semester hours.

Use the following formula to determine how many accounting credits you need:

Undergraduate credits: Subtract the number of undergraduate credits you have earned plus the number of graduate credits you have earned multiplied by 5/3 from 30 to obtain the undergraduate credit hours you still need to sit for the CPA examination. Fractions must be rounded upward to the nearest whole credit.

Graduate credits: Subtract the number of graduate credits you have earned and the number of undergraduate credits you have earned multiplied by 3/5 from 18 to obtain the graduate credit hours you still need to sit for the CPA examination. Fractions must be rounded upward to the nearest whole credit.

Residence

11. Q: Is Ohio residence still required for the CPA exam?
A: No. Residence is no longer a legal requirement in Ohio for admission to the computer-based CPA examination. However, a person who sits for the CPA examination as a nonresident Ohio candidate must meet the residence requirement at the time of CPA certification.

Transfer of CPA examination credit

12. Q: How do I transfer exam credit to Ohio?
A: If you earn credit on the CPA examination as a candidate in another state and you wish to transfer this credit to Ohio, you would need to complete the Ohio CPA certification educational requirements and residence requirement. If you continue to sit for the CPA exam as a candidate of the other state and obtain a CPA certificate in the other state, then you may obtain an Ohio CPA certificate by reciprocity or substantial equivalency.

13. Q: What is the "grandfather clause?"
A: Section 4701.06 of the Ohio Revised Code states that the educational requirements for admission to the CPA examination are those in effect on the date the candidate first sits for the CPA exam. If you first sat for the CPA exam in Ohio or in any other state prior to 2000, you would not need to fulfill the 150-hour requirement in order to obtain the Ohio CPA certificate. The grandfather clause does not apply to persons who fulfilled the educational requirements prior to 2000 but did not sit for the CPA examination.

Test center problems and contacts

14. Q: What action should I take if I think I witnessed a candidate cheating or if I believe a test center employee acted improperly?
A: Contact Prometric's security department (800-347-3781) .

15. Q: What action should I take if I experienced a problem at the testing center?
A: Contact Prometric Customer Care (800-853-6769) or NASBA (800-CPA-EXAM).

16. Q: What if I have a concern about the test questions for the section I just completed?
A: Communicate your concerns to the AICPA Examination Team by fax (201-938-3443) or by mail (Harborside Financial Center, 201 Plaza Three, Jersey City, NJ 07311).